International Criminal Court’s First Investigation

June 23, 2004

Luis Moreno Ocampo, Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC), announces that the Court's first-ever investigation will probe crimes committed throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The investigation was triggered by a request from the Congolese transitional government. Several rebel commanders were arrested, including Thomas Lubanga, a rebel commander operating in eastern Congo, and later, former vice-president and presidential candidate Jean-Pierre Bemba.